Nigerians across the nation are calling on President Bola Tinubu to impose serious sanctions on key sports officials, including the Minister of Sports, Senator John Enoh; the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Habu Gumel; and the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa. These calls for accountability come in the wake of Team Nigeria’s dismal performance at the ongoing Paris Olympic Games, which has left many Nigerians feeling frustrated and embarrassed on the global stage.
Hon. Ahmed Shuaib Gara-Gombe, a sports entrepreneur and Chairman of the Gombe State Athletics Association, is among the most vocal critics, urging President Tinubu to sack the Sports Minister. Gara-Gombe described the allocation of twelve billion Naira (#12,000,000,000) for the Olympic Games as a colossal waste, given that the country failed to secure a single medal. He labeled the situation a “national embarrassment” and a disgrace to the entire nation.
One of the most glaring examples of this mismanagement was the exclusion of Favour Ofili, a top sprinter, from the 100m event at the Olympics. Gara-Gombe highlighted this as a “serious embarrassment” not only to the nation but also to President Tinubu and all stakeholders in Nigerian sports.
During an appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Minister Enoh admitted that there was no defense for Nigeria’s lack of medals at the Olympics. “There’s nothing I will say here to defend the fact that Nigeria didn’t have a medal,” the Minister stated, acknowledging the team’s poor performance. He, however, evaded questions as to whether he will resign in reaction to the Paris fiasco.
However, the Minister’s initial reactions on social media, particularly on his X handle, have sparked widespread disappointment. Many Nigerians did not expect such statements from a top government official, especially considering the gravity of the situation.
Critics have pointed to a range of issues plaguing Nigerian sports, including negligence, inefficiency, and deep-seated corruption. Gara-Gombe and others argue that the Minister has only exacerbated these problems, rather than addressing them. “The Sports Minister, unfortunately, has promoted corruption in the sports sector, which is why we find ourselves in this mess in the AFN,” Gara-Gombe asserted.
He also accused Minister Enoh of ignoring those who might have offered him valuable advice about the true state of Nigerian sports. “Since the Minister took office, he has refused to listen to those who would tell him the truth and the true situations in Nigerian sports,” Gara-Gombe added.
Surprisingly, Minister Enoh has attempted to shift the blame onto the AFN and NOC. While these federations indeed share responsibility, Gara-Gombe insists that, as the nation’s top sports administrator, the Minister should bear the brunt of the blame. “He cannot claim ignorance of the rot in the Athletics Federation. The Ofili case is just an insignificant fraction of the corruption and inefficiency that is going on in the Athletics Federation,” he said.
In many other countries, such a debacle would have led to immediate resignations. “In a saner clime, by now, the Minister, Sen. John Enoh, NOC President Habu Gumel, and of course, AFN President Tonobok Okowa should have resigned. But because they have no shame, they remain in their positions,” Gara-Gombe concluded.
As the controversy continues to unfold, the call for accountability grows louder, with many Nigerians hoping that President Tinubu will take decisive action to restore integrity and competence in the nation’s sports administration.
